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County briefs residents on proposed floodplain map changes that would expand 100‑year zone in Princeville
Summary
Edgecombe County planning staff warned preliminary state floodplain map updates would move much of Princeville and surrounding areas into the 100‑year floodplain, triggering mandatory flood insurance and elevation requirements; commissioners directed staff to pursue appeals and to host public meetings with state representatives.
County planning staff told commissioners that preliminary floodplain maps under state review would expand the area designated inside the 100‑year flood zone in several communities, including Princeville, and could require many property owners to obtain flood insurance and to elevate future structures.
Planning director Durbin Spell said the proposed maps remove some current protections and increase the area considered subject to the hundred‑year flood designation. "When the new map takes effect, most of the town would then be considered in the hundred year flood zone," Spell said, adding that the change would trigger requirements for mandatory flood insurance and elevation for new construction.
Why this matters: Commissioners and residents said the change could sharply increase insurance costs and complicate home ownership and redevelopment in historically flood‑impacted towns; one commissioner warned the cost could be ‘‘beyond way more than triple’’ for some households. Commissioners asked staff to convene public meetings in affected districts, to pursue appeals where appropriate and to invite the state Department of Public Safety and other technical representatives to answer questions at a future commission meeting.
Next steps: Staff said they plan a larger public meeting in late March or early April, with county, Tarboro and Princeville representatives on hand and state staff available to explain the map methodology. Commissioners also directed county staff to begin the appeals process where landowners or the county believe parcels are misclassified, but staff cautioned that appeals typically require supporting engineering and survey documentation.
